Azealia Banks, an American rapper, is no stranger to controversy. She’s not only known for her breakout single “212” where she liberally uses the c-word but also her beef with almost everyone under the sun. Her most popular feuds have been in the last couple of years with Zayn Malik, Lizzo, and Elon Musk and Grimes. Her most recent scandal was criticizing gay men who use PrEP less than a week ago.
But this week, Azealia Banks did what she does best, stir the pot. She’s officially bid the gays “adieu.” Banks went onto Instagram and posted a story of herself with the bunny filter. What at first glance looks like a harmless selfie was actually a post with a much darker message.
Image via Gay Times
Banks smiled in the photo, floating black text next to her face denouncing some of the only people left in her fanbase…gay men. She wrote, “Lol, I love the gays and love how much y’all love me but I really have to eject.” Banks continues, “I think you guys are into a lot of s***/people I just don’t find value in.”
She accuses her gay male fanbase of “throwing me [her] in the bucket with Iggys/tinashes/random drag queens [sic] just because I’m a female and you guys play Barbie dream house with the names and create a culture of shared data.
“And it’s true – even though I’m DEFINITELY better than all these little trash b****** y’all stans try collaging in with me…
“So, gays…..I bid you adieu ….These last 8 years were fun…But I have to pull a Shia and delete this thing.
She claims that so many of “these girls “feed” off of her art but when she’s “doubling back to snatch crumbs out of their mouths it stops my [her] journey forward.
“Gotta leave the crumbs on the floor and let the eco-system [sic] do what it does.
Banks then post scripts how she will miss her fanbase, ending the rant with, “Even though I won’t be here I’ll be thinking about you all the time. I love y’all so much and thanks for being my gay (albeit dysfunctional) family all these years.”
There are mixed reactions on Twitter. The majority of Banks’ remaining fanbase after years of endless controversy is gay, and she might have just pushed them away.
Fans and onlookers alike have not taken the news so well.
https://twitter.com/vidauredance/status/1202405844337352705
https://twitter.com/iconthicc_jordd/status/1201625695220387842
The fact that Banks has called one of the few groups that remained as her fanbase dysfunctional shows her lack of self-awareness. She has burned bridges with close to the entire entertainment industry (and billionaire Elon Musk) simply because she does not have a filter. If Banks wants to cut off a huge portion of those who support her, she has every right to do so. But when her music sales are affected by her continuous negative press, she won’t be able to open the doors back up for the gay community who once adored her.
Featured image via Anton Mak.
